Sunday, September 05, 2010

After thirteen months of aggressive actions, we have finally won our fightagainst developer Lorig Associates. The have granted our "final offer"demands, dropping their lawsuit against us and paying fired secretaryPatricia $22,000 in back-pay compensation (though they won't call itthat).

This fight has been longer and harder than any of us ever imagined itwould be. The company brought in a major nationwide union-busting law firmto try and crush us with lawsuits against both our organization and threeindividual brothers and sisters: Emily, Andrew, and Patricia. They triedto get an injunction banning us from picketing, on pain of arrest. Theypromised they would never give in to our demands.

Still we stood our ground and managed to keep up a never-ending series ofaggressive actions against the company. We repeatedly picketed many ofLorig's for-rent and for-sale properties. We continually posted "Don'tRent Here" flyers. We brought our message to Lorig-sponsored "open house"events, industry events, and even charity events. We picketed andaddressed three different city councils who were considering hiring Lorigfor city developments. We contacted the owner's neighbors. We broughtLorig's troubles to the attention of their financial backers at Bank ofAmerica. The cost to Lorig in lost business, reputation, and legalexpenses has been huge. Now finally, after a full year of pressure,they've had enough.

The strength to stick it out and win came from the unwavering solidarityof a ton of SeaSol members, supporters, and allies. When Lorig startedsuing people, no one ducked for cover - instead, more people stepped up.To everyone who participated in the Lorig fight: THANK YOU! This is yourvictory.

Thanks also to the lawyers Brendan Donckers and Keith Scully of Gendler &Mann LLP, as well as to Dmitri Iglitzen and Jennifer Robbins ofworkerlaw.com, who took a stand for freedom of speech by defending us forfree when Lorig tried to shut us down with a lawsuit.